I find that I am behind on some tasks at the rectory, notably the lawns. Luckily the vicar's wife will push the mower round if there is a dry spell but it wasn't until today that I finally applied a spring weed & feed product. And cut new lawn edges. And trimmed those that were still in good nick.
On other tasks I am ahead of myself.
Take no heed of the title of the post, in fact I am talking about netting.
Redcurrants are pruned like gooseberries, and they produce fruit on old wood. The bushes (variety 'Rovado')I have planted at the rectory over two years ago are looking good. As you can see from the picture, there are masses of flowers.
I am also happy about the rhubarb.
The extend the cropping season, I have planted two crowns, one each of 'Victoria' and 'Stockbridge Arrow'. Victoria (pictured) as ready for harvesting now, the Arrow is a little later cropping but is said to be the better variety. This is a good year for rhubarb and I have plenty at home, too. The little gardener is partial to Gruffalo crumble (in the absence of a tasty Gruffalo substitute with rhubarb), while DH loves my rhubarb cake with a meringue topping.
The hostas, divided in autumn, are coming up well, too.
Even the hostas in the Penny Border (planted from divisions last autumn) are sprouting nicely although I suspect the vicar's boys and their footballs may do some damage sooner or later.
The vicar's wife has been cutting salad for a few weeks now, grown in the greenhouse though. There is a glut, so I had to take some home...
Your hostas are beautiful...my DD has them under her Live Oak trees and so aesthetically pleasing to look at. Would you be willing to share your recipe for rhubarb cake? Sounds very interesting as well as Grufallo crumble. Off to google grufallo:-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your very kind words, Jeanne, and I will look up the recipe. The Gruffalo is a character by Julia Donaldson whose books for young children I can heartily recommend.
DeleteThank you Bienchen. My mom loves rhubarb and would grow it in the garden. I can only remember that I would not eat it when I was little....LOL....but have since broaden my tastes:-) My parents love Catherine's recipe for Madelines and Clafoutis...Catherine, smooches!
DeleteLook out for a post later today, too lengthy to comment.
DeleteHostas! No wonder I love them--Jeanne does.
ReplyDeleteReally, hostas are my favorite yard plant. I'd forego flowers for them--lots of them. I'm probably silly for saying this, but I find the calm of a green-green-green garden so appealing. When I lived in Iowa in this big 1920s house, my favorite part was a lawn filled (seriously filled) with hostas. Even when the quickly growing trees brought too much shade for the flowers to live, I had that lovely green to enjoy.
LOL, you are in good company then and it must be a fine sight to have them planted en masse. Apparently hostas are the most popular flower in the US. The one pictured is a variety suitable for pots as well as open ground and it does well in sun, too.
DeleteI'm a lover of hostas also, so easy and so many varieties. I particularily like the blue varieties, many have fragrant flowers. I'm curious as to what the pesticide regulations are like across the pond. Here in NJ you must be licensed and now beginning this year you must be licensed to apply turf fertilizers. It was a tough exam and set in place to protect our marine and freshwater ecosystems.
ReplyDeleteHostas can be a bit of a challenge here due to the wet climate which of course encourages populations of slugs & snails. Many of my clients adore hostas but have had not much luck growing, ending up with plants that look like granny's doilies. Re the pesticide regulations, they change here all the time too. The range of products available to all and sundry gets more limited every year and I am using my RHS membership to keep abreast of changes in the law. So far I have not needed a licence as I garden mostly to organic principles, so tend to use a lot of fatty acid type products, grease bands, nematodes, etc. On those occasions where a chemical is needed (ie lawn care), I use products that are available to the domestic market. If I came across a situation that would warrant stronger stuff, I would call in a company with licensed operators to deal with the problem.
ReplyDelete